good morning, america. this morning, the superstorm. sandy, downgraded to a tropical storm overnight. but do not be fooled. forecasters say this is shaping up to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, with 66 million people in the bull's eye and possibly $15 billion in damage. our extreme team, live up and down the coast this morning. weekend whirlwind. with sandy bearing down, president obama and mitt romney are going through battleground states for every vote. how is it that both guys are so confident? extreme shoplifting. caught on tape. a suitcase filled with $1,000 in steaks. this guy hiding items in a neck brace.

how the thieves are working in teams and making everything more expensive for you. ♪ happy birthday to you and best birthday ever. we'll tell you how a mall worker convinced 1980s rock legend billy idol to play at his birthday party. this band went through extraordinary lengths, launching a two-year campaign to meet his idol. and we were there for the big night, exclusively for the payoff. you learn something new every morning on this broadcast. i had no idea that ron claiborne was a big billy idol fan. >> i am, indeed. and justin bieber fan. >> good morning, everybody. we want to get straight to the big story this morning. that superstorm. abc's meteorologist, ginger zee, is in florida, tracking what could be a once-in-a-lifetime

event. >> sandy has been downgraded to a tropical storm. but that's temporary. this behemoth is forecast to become a hurricane again and join forces with a storm. multiple states are issuing emergency alerts. and today is the calm before the storm. the last day to stock up, batn down or just get out of town. >> that's what millions of people are doing, getting out. to give you a sense of what a mess this storm could make, it's expected to slam parts of the east coast with a foot of rain and several feet of snow. it's going to last for days, bringing wind damage, power outages and possibly massive flooding in some parts. abc's extreme team is covering all of the angles. we're going to start with ginger in cocoa beach, florida. good morning, ginger. >> good morning, dan. it's very windy here. we've had wind gusts of 50 miles per hour-plus. you can see the surf behind me. there was a 31-foot wave way out at sea. speaking of way out at sea,

that's where tropical storm sandy is. it was downgraded. but you can't let that fool you because it will reintensify. you can see the satellite picture. it gives you an idea of where the storm is moving, away from florida. next stop is the carolinas. and potentially, that date with weather history. tumultuous waves hammering florida beaches. serious erosion. and almost four inches of rain along parts of the florida coast. that's what sandy looks like down here. but up there, from space, you can clearly see the tropical storm. its large, stretching field over 90 miles across. and sandy aggravates the atlantic, its path of destruction has left 43 people dead across the caribbean. through the weekend, the storm will hug the carolinas before turning its eye directly towards the coast. somewhere between the mid-atlantic, northeast and new england by monday night.

>> this storm th is going to be impacting the mid-atlantic and parts of the northeast is going to be destructive, historic, and unfortunately life-threatening. >> reporter: tropical storm sandy is a strong storm alone. but she's about to get infused with two atmospheric players. sandy will meet up with a trough from the west. that means a lot of energy and cold, dry air to mix in. then, you have a high-pressure system parked over green land. that creates a blocking pattern, driving it into the east coast. the biggest concern in the coming days is the potential for four-foot to ten-foot coastal surge. that's expected in vulnerable areas like d.c., new jersey and new york, where evacuation orders may be inforced. even though the forecast path takes its center right into southern new jersey and parts of delaware, the wind field will be huge on this. that's why we have to check in with matt gutman. he's in nags head, north

carolina. >> reporter: thanks a lot, ginger. we really are starting to feel the impact of that texas-sized storm surge here. want to give you a sense of how frothy the water has become. it's been whipping up this foam everywhere. across the mid-atlantic, they're in full swing with preparations there. even starting to hand out sandbags in washington, d.c. with the lopsided behemoth coming towards them, all atlantic states are declaring states of energy, including virginia. >> this is an unpredictable weather event. but one that is possibly very dangerous weather event for the commonwealth of virginia. we're used to having hurricanes. we're just not used to having them in late october. >> reporter: in the nation's capital, linesmen were out reinforcing power lines, bracing for days' long blackouts.

and 23 ships steaming out of port and harm's way. and officials are closely watching the eight refineries in the storm's path. the hybrid storm already churning up potentially deadly surf here in north carolina. raising red flag warnings. >> it's crazy. never seen a storm this late in the season. >> reporter: cutting short vacations. and sending tourists streaming from the outer banks to higher ground. and locals, to stores to stock up on supplies. and we are already starting to hear reports of people buying out generators. even shortages of water in some places. and because this is such a massive system moving in, the national guard has said it is ready with 61,000 troops, guardsmen available, if they are needed to be called up. ginger? >> matt, let's get straight to the tropical storm watch and warning. this is what people need to know this morning. this is what the storm is going to do to you.

from central florida all the way up through the carolinas. watches of 40-mile-per-hour to 50-mile-per-hour gusts. that's today through tomorrow. then, the storm, the path takes it to the mid-atlantic, southern new jersey and delaware, being the heart of it. but the wind field extends beyond that. it could be all the way to ohio, parts of western pennsylvania. and the storm surge was mentioned once but needs to be mentioned again. six-foot to nine-foot possible. atlantic city, included. new york city, included. long island, as well. and then, we've got that rainfall because you heard a lot about it. at best, locally, some places could top out at a foot or more after this is all said and done. you see the heart of it, at 6 to 12 inches. and it extends back into the eastern great lakes, where you get anywhere from three, four, or even five inches of rain when this is all said and done. flooding is going to be a problem. coastal flooding a major issue. and there's snow. i'll have more on that coming up in a couple of minutes. for now, we'll go back to the

studio. >> we'll see you in a few minutes. thank you. meantime, this extremely dangerous superstorm has the potential to shut down new york and other big cities up and down the east coast. emergency officials are scrambling to make sure preparations are in place. and abc's john schriffen has that story from lower manhattan. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning. we are here in battery park city, in what's being called zone "a." 375,000 residents live in the low-lying potential flood zones. you look at the water right now, it is calm. but when sandy comes through, it wouldn't take much for the water to come up over the walls. last year, for hurricane irene, these residents had to be evacuated. this time around, they're ready for the worst. east coast communities going on the offensive. building sand walls, securing property and stocking up on supplies, as the superstorm closes in. after being pounded last year by hurricane irene with its record

storm surge and feet of flooding, new york residents are once again bracing for the worst. damage from irene topped $14 billion. and sandy could wreak even more havoc. >> i lost everything in my basement. i had up to ten feet of water in my house. this is a concern. >> reporter: governor cuomo has declared a state of emergency in preparation for sandy's impact. and mayor michael bloomberg warned new york city residents to brace themselves. >> high winds that could force certain bridges to be closed. >> reporter: last year, in advance of irene, mayor bloomberg made the unprecedented order to evacuate low-lying areas of the city and shut down the subway system. as sandy barrels north, the city's more than 7 million strap hangers await a decision about another possible shutdown. and mayor bloomberg says the subway system will shut down if the wind speeds exceed 39 miles

per hour. he recommends that residents put together a go pack with all of the essentials, should you need to go at a moment's notice if there are evacuations. >> potentially a huge crisis for the biggest city in this country. that concludes our storm coverage of the morning. now, to politics. and this storm could hardly come at a more inconvenient time for the presidential campaign. it's "your voice, your vote." and with ten days to go, president obama and mitt romney are having to cancel events from their meticulously-planned schedules, with key battleground states directly in the path of this storm. abc's david kerley is at the white house this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan. mitt romney has canceled events at virginia beach, along the coast of virginia. and there's a chance the president's schedule may be affected, as well, as this storm comes to shore. both campaigns are displaying confidence, as we run down the days to election time. and they're playing to specific groups of voters.

turn the channel, and you see the president on mtv. and" inside edition." >> this is a big show. >> reporter: the comedy shows. leno. and the first lady on "kimmel." and not just tv. ♪ this is a part of me >> reporter: a campaign event with katy perry. an interview with "rolling stone" and "us weekly." the president is going hip and young. he's ahead with nearly two-thirds of those voters. but he needs them to turn out. for romney, who has co-opted the president's change slogan from four years ago -- >> what this requires is change. >> reporter: -- it's a different audience. the governor leads them among white men, 66% to 32%. and he leads in most national polls. while the president has a slight lead in many of the battleground states. ♪ signed, sealed, delivered >> reporter: that's left both campaigns feeling confident they

have the voters, the ground game to bring home a victory. >> somebody is going to be wrong on november 7th. so, very different assumptions that these campaigns have about the kinds of people who are going to turn out to vote. >> reporter: how close is this election? the campaigns are searching for the undecided voters any way they can. one ohio voter wrote on facebook, that on friday, ann romney called him to wish him a happy birthday. she seemed like a nice lady. michelle never took the time. back to sandy, there's a chance this could take the president off the campaign trail if it becomes a devastating storm on the east coast. it shows how important some of that early voting for both campaigns may be. dan and bianna? >> and the facebook post that shows how important ohio is. if you're slightly offended that only one of the potential first ladies called you. david kerley, thank you very much. t-minus ten days before the election. let's bring in our political contributor, nicolle wallace, former adviser for the bush and

mccain/palin campaign. can we talk about this storm? >> i can't wait to get out of here and -- listen. there is always the third wheel when you're taking the plans for the final ten days. that is all of the national events that can change or reshape the election are over. the debates are over. the conventions are over. there's always an outside event that can have the effect of reordering the entire race. that's what this storm can be. it's high-stakes drama for both campaigns. you can be sured there are meetings where they are going over the precision drops, if you will, the travel schedules for the candidates, for the wives, for the surrogates. and making sure none of that works against what they want to do. >> what do you make of the discrepancy of the polls? the national polls and the swing states? >> we're looking at national polls. but they're rendered pretty

irrelevant this point. this has come down to 50 statewide races. and that's all that matters until or unless we change the way we elect presidents. so, at this point, there's not much to be gleaned anymore or to understand in the national polls. and really, what matters most are the numbers in the states, like ohio, like florida, like north carolina and virginia. >> one has to wonder with the jobs report coming five days before election day, what impact that could have. thank you so much for joining us. go pack your bags. to the latest on the race for the white house, don't miss "this week" here on abc. let's get more of the top stories from ron. >> i'm prepared with this storm for my water-proof suit. we're going to begin with new details on the deadly meningitis outbreak. disturbing findings in the fda's preliminary report on the massachusetts pharmacy linked to the outbreak. federal inspectors found mold,

bacteria and a greenish residue in rooms and on equipment that were supposed to be sterile. the outbreak has caused 25 deaths and sickened people across the country. the cease-fire for a muslim holiday does not seem to be holding. a day after two car bombs and fighting left more than 100 people. thousands of people took advantage of the cease-fire to pour into the streets to protest president assad's rule. and former italian president berlusconi has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud, although he's unlikely to serve a day behind bars. he called it a political sentence. he's on trial for paying for sex, allegedly, with an underaged prostitute. and senate majority leader, harry reid, is in good condition after a car accident in las vegas that happened on friday. reid, the nevada democrat, was released from the hospital with rib and hip contusions.

six cars were involved in the chain reaction crash, including four from his caravan. reid was not driving. and casey anthony's lawyers are asking for a venue change for upcoming civil defamation trial. they argue that anthony would not get a fair trial because of pretrial publicity. anthony was acquitted in the murder of her daughter, caylee. and remarkable footage from felix baumgartner's space dive. the cameras on his suit as he plunged to the ground, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier. you see him spinning violently, when he appeared to lose control. it's a little-known fact, he's the second person to break the sound barrier. i was the first one. >> were you in a water-proof suit? >> i was in a water-proof space

suit. guy's claiming to be the first guy. no big deal. >> you're so magnanimous. thank you, ron. we're going to go to the extreme shoplifting. bold, brazen shoplifters caught on tape. the new generation of thieves using a whole bag of new tricks to steal some pretty pricey products. abc's pierre thomas explains how it's impacting the price you pay at the checkout line. >> reporter: caught on tape. this man, stuffing items in his coat. so relaxed. but he keeps going back. look at him. five times. and just this week, look at this shoplifter raiding the supermarket. he has a very specific target. gourmet organic steak and lamb chops. that's him right there, strolling outside of the store with a suitcase full of meat. and this man allegedly stole $20,000 of oil of olay creams.

if you thought petty shoplifting was a crime. $30 billion in shoplifting. with an 11% spike in losses from 2010 to 2011. >> that increases prices on the products in the stores. the stores have to compensate in some way, for the merchandise that's lost. >> reporter: many of the items stolen are personal products. whi whitening strips like this are popular targets. items that might surprise you. early pregnancy tests, baby formula, rogaine, razors, batteries and red bull. in case you get caught, tylenol extra strength. who is behind the epidemic of thefts? perhaps your next door neighbor like this man, who slips something from the store into his neck brace. but it's organized crime gangs

who steal massive amounts of product. they steal stuff that everyone needs or wants. stores are fighting back, locking up household items, using surveillance cameras, alarm tags and informing networks to alert each other about shoplifting gangs. all to catch a thief. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> the neck brace. didn't see that one coming. let's check the weather once again. back to ginger zee who is on the front lines in florida. ginger? >> good morning, everybody. we talked a lot about storm surge, wind and waves. but we have not talked about that cold part of the system. that's where i want to start. the snowfall that will interact with sandy. and it will kind of go into the mountains there. i want to focus in on west virginia because they could get, that's right, more than a foot in some places. that's that deep, magenta color. and sandy's not the only story across the nation. heat in the southwest. other people dealing with things here.

91 los angeles today. 82 san diego. 89 palm good morning, ashington. forecaster dave zahran here. very mild start to the some chalnging . ys ahead to ratur in the mid and very light out there. going to chan as storm s sandy, , now a ropical storm, downwn from a wayp the makes i its seaard. problems for us today, to ngs will start deteriorate. timele, hthe projected landfall we think around on tutuesday. >> we talk about some of the worst storms in history. and i think this could become one. i'll have more coming up in the next half hour. for now, we get back to the stood joe. >> thank you, ginger. stay safe out there.

switching gears. something we've been thinking about here at the office. do you notice when we cover stories about bank robbers the suspects always have interesting, sometimes creative names. >> i'm going to list some of my favorites. the mid life crisis bandit. and i love this. the sweaty back bandit. there's one guy behind all of this creativity. and we met him. almost every day, the fbi, police and banks are plastering another grainy surveillance picture and a catchy nickname all over billboards, wanted posters and tv screens. >> the wigout bandit. the chubby bandit. >> looking for a man they call the trick or treat bandit. >> reporter: nicknames like the bucket list bandit aren't just catchy. they can be the key to catching the bad guy. >> those people will take notice sometimes. well, that's a funny name. why would you call a bank robber that. and someone says, oh, that looks like my neighbor. >> reporter: in southern california, the so-called bank robbery capital of the world,

christening crooks is a big responsibility. steve may of the los angeles fbi office. >> it gets old. trust me. >> reporter: in august, david wright spoke to may when he was on the trail of the plain jane bandit. >> no disguise. average-looking. is that uncommon? >> on some robberies, she didn't wear a hat or glasses. >> reporter: what's in a name? according to may it could be any numbers of things. some get named for the way they dress, like the dapper bandit. or the cyclops bandit with his visual handicap. others come from accounts like the irreconcilable differences bandit, who blamed his spree on a messy divorce. he did not give his nickname a stellar review. >> one of the first things he said, the name, hated it. it was horrible. he was disappointed.

>> i hear that the sweaty back bandit didn't like his name, either. >> let's hope that guy doesn't get writer's block. coming up on the broadcast, the latest on the superstorm. live reports from the front lines, as the monster marches up the east coast this morning. plus, a warning for all parents. the bouncey houses your kids love to play in, they can be a lot more dangerous than you think. we'll have the details on that when we return. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ happy birthday to you this is an incredible story. the mall worker who launched a two-year campaign to enlist 1980s rock legend billy idol to play his birthday party. overnight, "gma" was there exclusively, when the two-year campaign had its big payoff. keep it here. more "gma" in a few minutes.

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good rning, washington. here. hran threatens the t a nice weekendbu tart to the weend. temperatures this morning in 50's.d upper out there in bethesda. beltsville. conditions, a mild tap. will pick up, but en things change amaticically. you can see onur satellite forces, ght now, two

d to move in nt poisese om the northwest and the adading ededge are some of the loudsds, some of the recipitatn associat withh tropical storm at miles wis er r hour. it up track takes daware bay early on rain coming heavy and into monday tuesday. tempeperatures up near 70 degegrees. morrrrow, cooler, temperatur bout 60. wers are quite kely. hen we're going to see we head into as earlyart of the week. ain on monday and tuesday. howers on wednesd. impmprovement b week's e.

we had a good group of people. good group of employees out there. this was a booming place. and mitt romney and bain capital turned it in to a junk yard. i was suddenly, 60 years old. i had no health care. mainly i was thinking about my family. how am i going to take care of my family. he promised us the same things he's promising the united states. and he'll give you the same thing he gave us. nothing. anncr: priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. a west virginia casino launching the biggest ad barrage ever. don't be misled. the washington post says question seven is just... common sense. it'll create 4,000 permanent jobs. and stop maryland from losing millions to other states... every year. that's why business, labor, and teachers all support... question seven. and so does the washington post. vote for questioseven. it's just common sense.

♪ dancing with myself oh, oh ♪ they were crying, more, more, more for billy idol at an exclusive birthday bash last night. a two-year campaign to get the idol to play a seattle man's birthday. how did he convince him to do it? a local reporter said holy white wedding. >> doesn't look like much time has passed since the 1980s for him. >> nope. good morning, america. we have heads-up for parents as we get close to halloween. the bouncing houses, those things are popular this time of year. we're going to show you how seriously awry things can go,

often with little children involved. >> not much regulation in the center for bouncey houses. it was a big week for oprah winfrey. we had her as a special guest on "gma." and she did a little shopping. she's one of the richest women in the world. but you could not believe what she wore on her feet walking around new york city. we begin with the superstorm barreling up the east coast. a monster on a collision course with two other systems. it's taken more than 40 lives in the caribbean and states up the entire eastern seaboard are bracing for its impact. ginger zee is in cocoa beach, florida, where they are bracing for the storm. >> we're getting covered by parts of the storm already. the surge has been really outstanding. they've had five-foot to ten-foot waves right at the shoreline. take that and double it. and that's what beaches like atlantic city, long island, all the way up into parts of new england will see from this storm. i want to talk about that, the

timing on this. i didn't hit that hard enough at the top of the broadcast. the carolinas will feel the effects today. 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts. by sunday, you start to see some of the effects in the mid-atlantic. clouds and wind. really, the brunt and the heart of the storm does not hit until late monday, into early tuesday. remember, though, just because it has that ensemble forecast, where it goes from southern new jersey, into parts of the mid-atlantic, i want you to remember that the wind field is much larger. so, just because you're in the cape, doesn't mean you won't get strong winds and storm surge. that 60-mile-per-hour to 90-mile-per-hour wind gusts looks like it will be focused in on northern new jersey, new york city, down to parts of even virginia and maryland, needs to winds and the rain. i'll have more on the nation's forecast. but now, back to bianna. >> thanks. matt gutman is in north carolina's outer banks, where they're hunkering down for sandy. what's the latest from nags head, matt? >> hey, bianna.

the outer tentacles of sandy are sprawling northward. not just here in nags head, north carolina. but six states declaring states of emergency up and down the eastern seaboard. and washington, d.c., as well. that's where they're handing out sandbags. just north of here, the navy fleet, 23 ships, are setting sail out of harm's way. and an army of line workers is being deployed, trying to shore up the lines across the area. everybody seems to be bracing themselves for days of blackouts. people are taking this seriously. they're out in stores. runs on generators. even bottled water. >> it's good that people are taking this seriously. matt, we appreciate your reporting this morning. moving on, now, they are a staple of halloween parties everywhere. bounce houses. kids love them. look at how things can go horribly wrong. this is a largely unregulated

businesses with thousands of injuries every day. abc's mark greenblatt is on the story. >> reporter: the bouncey house starts floating away. the wind tosses it like a rag doll. taking it and several children inside up in the air. the unexpected and frightening ride comes crashing down on top of several people. >> i took a hit in the back with a balloon. it bounced off me, hit my wife on the shoulders and threw her to the ground. it was pretty traumatic. >> i couldn't get up. i fell so hard. >> reporter: but the people hurt here are just a few of the thousands injured every year in related accidents involving inflatable rides. the consumer products safety commission tells abc news, there were an estimated 4,700 emergency room treated injuries related to the rise in 2011. a spokesperson told us, it's so important for consumers to anchor the inflatable bounce and supervise the children while in use. take what happened in arizona,

where another inflatable bounce house blows across the field, again with children inside. many states have no regulation at all over the inflatable play areas. and almost anyone can rent them. in fact, abc news found that for less than $1,000 online, you, too, can buy your very own commercial-sized bounce house. the national association of amusement rides safety officials tell abc news, parents should never let children play inside one, without a trained operator right by its side. mark greenblatt, abc news, new york. >> that video is extraordinary. i had no idea how easy it was to get one of those things. a lot of other news developing overnight. for more on that, we turn to mr. ron claiborne. >> good morning, everyone. in the news, the superstorm is threatening to alter campaign plans for president obama and mitt romney, as they come down the final stretch. romney and vice president biden have canceled weekend rallies in virginia.

and the businessman who sued mark zuckerberg, for half of the company. he said he fabricated and destroyed evidence to support his claims. and lance armstrong will not be awarded the award for -- he will not be awarded to any other riders. the governing body will remain blank for all of the years that armstrong had one. the committee said that armstrong should return his prize money. finally, an unexpected guest at a wendy's in kentucky. a deer came through the door, shattering the glass. the deer ran around the restaurant before leaving through a window. there were no other customers inside at the time. it's time, now, for the weather and back to ginger zee. ginger? >> even though the eastern third of the nation is consumed with sandy talk, there's a lot going on. we have to get to the cold in the middle of the nation. a cold front changed your

weather. let's see how cold it is here this morning. we have temperatures at 19 in rapid city, 35 for albuquerque. it stretches to the southwest. minneapolis this morning at 31. i'll fly you across the nation to leave you with that big picture. ou need to se washington.ing, here.ster dave zahran detee asian. emperatures today about 60 degrees. eavy rain coming our way monday into tuesday. >> this windy weather report, brought to you by citibank. dan and bianna? >> great job, ginger. a big weekend for her. coming up here on "gma," how a wild daydream turned into a wild party. one mall worker's two-year campaign to get billy idol to play his birthday. we were there for the payoff. and speaking of rock stars,

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♪ dancing with myself love that image. a very long campaign has just come to an end with a successful ending. a seattle man celebrating his birthday. it was the birthday of a lifetime, with rock legend, billy idol. >> he got the idea to do this about two years ago. and he launched a long and sometimes seemingly quixotic mission, refusing to quit until mr. idol said yes. clayton sandell has the story. >> reporter: it may be seattle's most epic 26th birthday party ever. ♪ dancing with myself >> reporter: billy idol making a special appearance for michael henrichsen and 2,000 of his closest friends. two years ago, henrichsen was working three jobs, struggling to make his mark in public relations. >> i knew i needed to do something in life, rather than just get interviews in places. that wasn't just cutting it. >> reporter: one day, he caught an old '80s favorite.

♪ nice day for a white wedding >> reporter: and inspiration hit. >> i should try to get billy idol to play my birthday party. what the hell? what do i have to lose? >> reporter: he started a web campaign. >> this is david marks of the beach boys. why don't you play at michael's birthday party. >> michael's a great guy. >> reporter: and rick springfield. >> play michael's birthday. okay? >> reporter: he even formed his own '80s cover band, night wave, to play for charities. after two years, idol was in. >> let me tell you something, seattle. people of the world have spoken. the dream will become a reality. just kept pushing at the idea. and he seemed more than a fan. a very enterprising young man. and a cool guy, too. >> reporter: don't accept idol to play every invitation. we asked if he would play my birthday. >> no way.

>> reporter: the two met backstage for the first time. >> rock 'n' roll right here, people. >> reporter: and idol, who doesn't do opening acts, made an exception for night wave. and just when michael's night couldn't get any better. there was one last song. ♪ happy birthday to you happy birthday to you ♪ >> this is the epitome of my life. and the biggest night ever of my life. i couldn't be more grateful or thankful. >> reporter: for "good morning america," clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> i hope clayton wasn't offended. >> that was my favorite moment from the whole piece. billy idol is a pretty cool guy. >> very cool guy. coming up here on "gma," forget the shoes. these days, when oprah winfrey goes shopping, she's going for comfort over style. get ready for a feeling of clean like nothing else.

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it's "pop news." and our entertainment reporter and host of "on the red carpet" rachel smith, is here. what's going on? >> there's a lot going on, dan. let's start things off with the newlywed, jessica biel. a week after her fairly tale wedding to justin timberlake in italy, she's changing her last name to timberlake. i think i won the jackpot of games. her professional name will be biehl. but otherwise, call her mrs. timberlake. >> i like that. any rolling stones fans up here? >> yes. >> yes. >> you're going to be superjealous of 600 people because these die-hard fans got some satisfaction on thursday

night. they played their first show in five years. it was an intimate crowd at a paris club. the tickets went for -- >> man. >> and they played songs, ranging from classics like "midnight rambler" to "jumpen jack flash." it was a warm-up for other concerts to celebrate their 50th anniversary. they hinted that there could be more shows to come. only four? come on now. >> a lot of energy for old guys, huh? >> i know, right? >> did billy idol make an appearance? >> he did not. >> no billy idol. we were so happy to have oprah winfrey as our "gma" guest host this week. and you may remember as the anchors wore robin's favorite froggy slippers. miss winfrey was spotted shopping in new york city, wearing the slippers. they look great with her

clothing. she can do it. she's oprah winfrey, right? >> she was supposed to return them after wearing them. >> no. team robin 24/7. i love it. >> they look comfortable, too. >> more than heels. >> rachel, great to have you here on-set. >> great to be here. we'll be right back. for months, i had this deep pain all over my body. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves.

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and stop maryland from losing millions to other states... every year. that's why busines labor, and teachers all support... question seven. and so does the washington post. vote for question seven. it's just common sense. and before we say good-bye, we want to take one final check of tropical storm sandy. ginger zee on the front lines in cocoa beach, florida. ginger, how are things looking right now? >> here on cocoa beach, things are pretty much done. it's going to be windy. the beach erosion is going to be a problem. we're going to march north with the storm, chasing is what i do. including my extreme weather partner tomorrow, sam champion. he'll be with us, as well as a bunch of reporters up and down

the coast. we won't let sandy go without letting you know what it's going to do. a week of this ahead. >> as this storm moves north, ginger will move north with it. she is fearless. we'll talk to her tomorrow morning, as well as sam champion. thanks for watching this morning. see you later. >> live, and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. good morning, washington. it is literally the calm before the storm. negligible this but sandy is on our doorstep. e mid toures are in th 50's across the area.

as we look at the big picture, the south.e down to outlyingee some of the .louds from sandy are between a rock and a hard because this cold front is the north and will collide with sandy lake to more y and givey and tuesda us what could be a disastrous storm. there is any good news, the storm has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. you can see it is expected to between delaware new jerseythern intoime late monday tuesday. the extent of that storm, we will see high winds heavy brain around here. local flooding is a real possibility. high winds and that could bring down power lines. prepare today for outages early next week.

we have a flood watch out for entire area along the i-295 corridor. 3-5 inches of rain possible from monday into tuesday. today and tomorrow, relatively nice, near 70 degrees today and upthe rain will pick night and temperatures upper 50's mid to tomorrow. by wednesday, we will see some improvements. [ earnest ] out of the blue one day,

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